The contract to assemble the engine was secured in July 2009. It followed approval for the first £2m of a proposed £15m investment package to upgrade Sunderland’s engine operation through to 2014.
This package has been supported by a £1.94m grant from Regional Development Agency One North East.
Around 60,000 MR engines will be produced in Sunderland each year, safeguarding 130 jobs and creating up to 200 additional posts by 2013, depending on the market.
The engine, which is compliant with Euro 5 and 6 emissions regulations, will be available as an option on several models, including the Qashqai and Qashqai +2, which are also produced in Sunderland.
Red Bull makes hydrogen fuel cell play with AVL
Formula 1 is an anachronistic anomaly where its only cutting edge is in engine development. The rules prohibit any real innovation and there would be...